Golf Course At Glen Mills, The

Golf Course At Glen Mills, The, is a Public, 18 hole golf course located in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania.

The Golf Course At Glen Mills facility in Glen Mills first opened for play in 2000. The course was designed by Robert Weed.

The course was built on property owned by The Glen Mills School in suburban Philadelphia. The school is the oldest residential school in the country for court-referred juveniles. It's been open since 1826. It is for all intents and purposes a private reform school for boys ages 15 to 18.

The students at the school get on the job training working at the course. They learn important lessons about responsibility and how to function in the workplace, and the skills that are marketable.

Operating profits from the course go toward the school's scholarship fund to help low income students pay for college.

All this feel good stuff is working for the young men and the course. Golf Digest listed it seventh in its list of "Best New Upscale Courses" in 2001. In 2002, Golf Magazine ranked in fifth in its "Top 10 You Can Play." And Golfweek listed it as the top public course in Pennsylvania in 2003. Pretty impressive for a course with such unusual roots.

The par-71 Bobby Weed design offers a lot of variety. Each hole has a distinct characte. The first four holes have an open feel. Then the course heads into the woods for a more traditional parkland feel. On the back nine the courses plays through a valley with several of the holes taking on aspects of target golf and a more modern feel. The bunkering harkens back to an earlier time, with irregular shaped sand traps, many of which are rimmed with high grass. There are also several nasty pot bunkers.

After a benign opening hole, #2 is aptly named "coffin." The long par-4 has half a dozen bunkers in play on the drive. Then short and right of the green is the "coffin" pot bunker. No matter how good your sand game, you want to stay out of that trap.

#4 is a long par-5. Its S-shaped fairway can tempt long hitters to try a second shot over a quarry with bunkers and high grass. Leave it in alone. Play the safer route down the fairway to the left. There are several traps that must be avoided about 100 yards out from the green.

#7 is a par-3 called "Hell." The hole plays uphill, 221 yards from the tips. It's cut out of the hillside to the left and it drops off into bunkers on the right. The green is huge and has no less than four levels from front to back. Yes, the fun is just beginning when you get to putting surface.

#8 is a great, short par-4. The blind tee shot must be placed as close to the narrow green as possible, and you'll want to hit your approach with as little club as possible. If your approach comes up short of the green, it'll likely run down a steep slope. There are no bunkers on this hole, but it's plenty tough without them.

The back nine features a trio of strong par-3s.

#10 is a long par-3 that plays from an elevated tee. There are wetlands in front and to the right of the green. You need to pick the proper club from the tee and there's a large swale running through the green so you'll need to be on the proper level if you're looking for a bird.

#14 is called the "Redan." Its got plenty of defenses, bunkering well short of the green, and a waste area that wraps around the left side of the putting surface. You'll only need a short to mid iron off the tee, but it's still a knee-knocker.

#16 is no push-over. A pond wraps around the front and right sides of the green. The only bailout area is pin-high left. Go a little long left and there are three sand traps waiting. Get in one of them and you're left with a sand shot back toward the pond.

The back nine has two par-5 holes. # 15 is a mid-length par-5, but it plays downhill. # 17 is a short par-5. Both provide opportunities for birdies, but you could have bogey or worse. That's a measure of a pretty good golf hole. Glen Mills has plenty of them.

High handicappers and beginners probably will not enjoy themselves at Glen Mills. There are some tight driving holes, forced carries, tough bunkers and enough trouble to challenge a seasoned golfer. Better players will love it. No one will be bored!